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Bessemer Elementary School staff and students can bank on their partners in education this school year.

The retail and commercial lending departments of the Greensboro offices of BB&T and its subsidiary Stanley, Hunt, Dupree & Rhine Inc., donated about $14,000 worth of equipment and school supplies to the northeast Greensboro elementary school.

“They came in and met with us as a team and asked what we needed,” Bessemer Principal Carolyn Haley said. “That reinforces what I say: 'Teamwork will get it done.’ ”

Representatives from BB&T and SHDR delivered five smart boards with projectors, athletic equipment and other school supplies for the students on Sept. 25.

“You don’t know how much we truly appreciate all you’ve done for us,” Haley said.

The team also helped the school with beautification efforts, by painting paw prints at the school’s entrance and the front doors and working on other projects.

This donation is a part of BB&T’s Lighthouse Project, through which branches and departments select local nonprofit organizations or initiatives to support and apply for funds to do so.

These departments also purchased items and materials for the Women’s Resource Center and the Greensboro Urban Ministry.

Another department sent care packages to about 75 troops from the Greensboro area deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and to work with the College Park Baptist Church in its backpack program.

“Each department is picking projects that they think will have the highest impact on the community it serves,” said Dan Rozelle, a senior vice president and product manager for sales and finance for BB&T.

The service projects vary from department to department and branch to branch. But the initiative is the same — to make an impact on the community at large.

Contact Tiffany S. Jones at 373-7157 or tiffany.jones@news-record.com